Jack Swinimer is a resident of Holyrood.
He’s a retired bank official.
He’s also a big Tory supporter who calls open lines shows regularly to talk up his team or, more importantly, talk down anyone else.
With Muskrat Falls on the go at the public utilities board, no one was surprised to see Swinimer on the line-up for the last day of the board’s public hearings on the set-up question Jack’s pals sent over to the board.
Jack admonished the board not to be swayed by ex-politicians, bloggers and…wait for it…open line callers.
Not content to blow his own foot off with that one, Swinimer also decided to tried some facts and logic.
Sadly for the enthusiastic Swinimer, his other comments got no further than the open line caller thing.
Jack used his career in banking to solemnly declare that borrowing money to build a thermal replacement for Holyrood would be a bad idea. On the other hand borrowing for his friends’ favourite would be good. Muskrat Falls would pay for itself, he declared because it would generate revenue.
Sadly for Swinimer, nothing could be further from the truth. Either Muskrat Falls or a thermal replacement for Holyrood would generate revenue and “pay for itself”. That’s because both projects would sell their power in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Swinimer went off the rails because he paid attention to his Tory talking points and ignored those other sources, all of whom have explained – in detail – how Jack’s pals propose to generate “revenue at Muskrat Falls.
Some of the sources Jack ignores have actually demonstrated why no one is interested in buying Muskrat Falls power: It’s too expensive, especially when compared to what they get from really cheap and plentiful …yes, you guessed it…natural gas.
Jack also claimed that while natural gas might be useful one day, right now it isn’t available. He didn’t cite any evidence to back his claim. He just stated it as if it was true.
Too bad for Jack that natural gas is available today and it is cheap.
Cheaper than Muskrat Falls.
Tune in later this morning when Jack will likely be on open line again.
Don’t ignore him. Jack’s comments are always interesting, even if they have an alarming tendency to blow up in his own face.
- srbp -